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luckylib14
Reviews
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
Terabithia is As Real As It Gets- Not a Typical Disney Movie
Both of my brothers had read this book, and I had heard such great things about it from them. One of my brothers is an amazing artist, and I am an aspiring writer. It meant a lot to me that the characters were artistic as well. Going into the movie, I already knew the plot but did not know the ending, and because I love and have a great bond with both brothers I trusted their opinions on the book and hoped the film would be what the book was in comparison.
I was blown away. I thought that Disney would put an annoying stereotype on the characters, but the acting was more than excellent and both the children and adults were not fake in the slightest. It was a very true performance.
The main character, Jesse, is a troubled boy who is part of a financially struggling family and who also gets picked on roughly in school. The day he wants to show up to all of the guys that bully him by beating them in a race during recess, the new girl in class, Leslie, beats all of the boys in the race. Leslie is unafraid to do anything unconventional, and is a beautiful writer with an imagination as open as the sky. But while the other kids bully her and see nothing in her writing but yawns, Jesse sees the true vision she has and admires her.
Jesse, an aspiring artist, draws things he sees in his mind, but needs a helpful nudge from Leslie to bring his imagination and emotions to life. Now, take note that the advertisements are completely misleading- they do NOT make their imaginations actually come to life, and it is clearly just their imagination that makes all these magical creatures (the bad ones funnily enough resembling the bullies from their school) and things appear. Together, they are the king and queen of Terabithia, an imaginary world they create together as an escape from the harsh reality at school that is one rope swing over a creek to another side of the forest. It is "their place".
This film is a reminder of childhood, and is a tear-jerker because of the tragedy in the end. There is a deep care between the characters that grows and never becomes cheesy. The acting done by the boy who plays Jesse is phenomenal, as well as the girl who plays the ever-inventive Leslie. The film really shows how one person can change your life and how you view it. I highly recommend this to children and adults alike, as this is a truly inspiring, truly REAL movie.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990)
one of the shows that made Nick good when I was a kid
This show got me afraid of clowns forever! (I think it was an episode about a fun-house at a carnival or something).
Although I can't remember specific episodes, going to its IMDb page sparked a lot of memories. This series was legendary for any nineties kid who watched television. Scared the CRAP out of me sometimes that I couldn't watch it!
It was one of many Nick shows that were actually GOOD back then, such as Clarissa Explains It All, Pete & Pete, All That (when it was actually funny). The Wonder Years, Full House.. I could go on. I wish I could watch it again, just to see if I'd still be scared! :]
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
I Really Loved This Film
So, I've heard this film got the beating because it wasn't like the book? Ah, well, trust me; I'm a huge book-lover (and Harry Potter fan), so I can say that if I had read the book and was an immense fan, I probably wouldn't have liked the film if it had taken the basis out of the original story. I truly sympathize with those of you who disliked this film because it did not go with the book in some way or another. ;)
Although, since I love writing myself, I have a very wonderful relationship with this film and its delicious scenery, how the characters in it build in confidence, and the whimsical things that seem to be thrown in it artfully. Yes, there are some so-called "cliches", which is a word I hate using. We use that word to describe things that happen every day in our life, things that repeat themselves in storybooks and films and are heard so often that we are likely to vomit with expectancy of it all. But the thing that hit me about this film is that a lot of things happen that you really don't expect. The coming-of-age story has been told for ages, and will be expressed forever, with all its little tidbits of similar goings-on (serious situation happens, main character finds escape, love, broken heart, confusion..etc.). I don't think an entire genre of literature can deny its existence, now, can it? :)
The acting is superb, and it has a lot of light-hearted moments that lift it up. It's basically about accepting yourself before you can truly find "Mr.Right", and realizing that you shouldn't put the blame on yourself for every single thing in your life that happens, and about taking chances because life can have pros and cons. I even think that some men would like it. This film was very inspiring to me, and although I didn't see it in theaters, I left my couch feeling very creative and content, as if I wasn't the only one who got inspiration from the little things life seems to hand out.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The Harry Potter adventures gets darker
Those of us Potter book fans who were upset with the things left out of Prisoner of Azkaban had better face the fact - they are not gonna fit everything in these films! Cut out the Dursleys, Herimone's (slightly annoying) house-elf liberation plans, and a few basically unimportant characters, and there's where hardcore "purist" Potterites went crazy.
The beginning is choppy, but really, it had to be to fit in the more important later parts. Voldemort is making evil plots in the background, as his supporters build up and begin to terrorize the wizarding world once again at the Quidditch World Cup. The wizarding world is on the brink of a real war as the book goes on, and the thing I liked about it is that the tenseness of Harry's whole situation is lightened up by comedy (much better quality than the other films) & light romance/ teenage awkwardness.
Characters who were always put into the background in the films were brought out- Fred and George are no longer just a pop-in/pop-out joke. Neville is more developed and brought out. Ginny has a lot more lines, and makes more appearances as her character becomes more important (as well as Neville's).
New schools join Hogwarts in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and Harry's name mysteriously comes out of the Goblet of Fire (an impartial judge for the tournament), even when he didn't put it in there. Harry is being accused by friends and fellows because he is three years younger than he is supposed to be. He goes through the three dangerous tasks of the tournament, and befriends the popular and handsome Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff. You really see the difference between Harry and Cedric in this film, and that Harry can be just like every other teenage male. This film is no longer child's play. It reaches PG-13, as it should be. Voldemort returns, a loss is suffered, and Harry narrowly escapes death himself but is left shaken.
The friendship of Harry, Ron and Hermione deepens as their world faces death for the first time, and the look on Harry's face shows it all in the end. Radcliffe makes a spectacular performance, and since in the next book Harry suffers from survivor's guilt, it will be great to see him act out that part of Harry. And as the last chapter of the book is called, the end of this Potter film is only "The Beginning" of dark and difficult times.
I left the theater very satisfied and extremely happy at how the book was portrayed on screen. If you didn't understand some parts, read the book/get the audio book/ask a friend who's read the book! It's an addicting read & a turning point in the series. The DVD should be awesome, especially the special features. Hope this review helps! :)